This document summarizes the Agriculturists' Loans Act of 1884 in India. The key points are: 1) The Act amends and extends the Northern India Takkavi Act of 1879 to allow state governments to provide loans to owners and occupiers of agricultural land for purposes like relief from distress, purchasing seeds or cattle, or other agricultural objectives. 2) State governments are empowered to make rules regarding such loans and their recovery. Loans and interest are recoverable as if they were arrears in land revenue. 3) When a loan is given jointly to members of a village community, a statement signed by the borrowers regarding their individual portions of liability will be legally binding among themselves.

1. THE AGRICULTURISTS' LOANS ACT, 1884
ACT No.12 OF 1884
[AS ON 1955]
{It has been amended in -
C.P.and Berar by C.P.& Berar Acts 34 of 1947 and 54 of 1949;
Coorg by Coorg Act 3 of 1936;
Madras by Madras Act 16 of 1935;
Orissa by Orissa Act 6 of 1937; and
U.P by U.P.Acts 12 of 1922, 12 of 1934 and 12 of 1948.}
An Act to amend and provide for the extension of the Northern India Takkavi Act, 1879.
[24th July, 1884.]
WHEREAS it is expedient to amend the Northern India Takkavi Act, 1879, and provide for its
extension to {Subs.by the A.O.1948, for "any part of British India".} [other {Subs.by the A.O.1950,
for provinces of India ".} [Part A States or Part C States] ]; It is hereby enacted as follows:---
(Preamble.)
1.Short title:- (1) This Act may be called the Agriculturists' Loans Act, 1884; and
(2) It shall come into force on the first day of August , 1884.(Commencement.)
2.Local extent :- (1) This section and section 3 extend to the whole of India except Part B States.
(2) The rest of this Act extends in the first instance only to{Subs.by the A.O.1948, for original
words.} [Bombay, Uttar Pradesh , Punjab, the Central , Provinces , Assam , Delhi and Ajmer-
Merwara.]
(3) But any State Government may, from time to time, by notification in the Official Gazette,
extend the rest of this Act to the whole or any part of the territories under its administration.
3.[ Repeal of Act X of 1879, and sections 4 and 5 of Act XV of 1880.] Rep.by the Repealing Act,
1938 (1 of 1938), s.2 and Sch.
4.Power for State Government to make rules :-(1) State Government {Ins.by the Act 4 of 1914,
s.2 and Sch.Pt.I.} [or, in a State for which there is a Board of Revenue or Financial
Commissioner, such Board or Financial Commissioner, Subject to the control of the State
Government] may, from time to time, {The words "subject to the control of the G.G.in C." rep.ibid.}
make rules as to loans to be made to owners and occupiers of arable land, for the relief of
distress, the purchase of seed or cattle, or any other purpose not specified in.the Land
Improvement Loans Act, 1883, but connected with agricultural objects.
(2) All such rules shall be published in the Official Gazette.
5.Recovery of loans :- Every loan made in accordance with such rules, all interest (If any)
chargeable thereon, and costs (if any) incurred in making or recovering the same, shall, when
they become due, be recoverable from the person to whom the loan and made, or from any
person who has become surety for the repayment thereof, as if they were arrears of land-revenue
or costs incurred in recovering the same due by the person to whom the loan was made or by his
surety.
6.Liability of joint :- borrowers as among themselves :-When a loan is made under this Act, to
the members of a village community or to any other persons such terms that all of them are jointly
and severally bound to the Government for the payment of the whole amount payable in respect
thereof, and a statement showing the portion of that amount which as among themselves each is
bound to contribute is entered upon the order granting the loan and is signed , marked, or sealed
by each of them or his agent duly authorized in this behalf and by the officer making the order,
that statement shall be conclusive evidence of the portion of that amount which as among
themselves each of those persons is bound to contribute.